Carthage took command from fellow speedster Onebadshark shortly after the start and never looked back, winning by 4 1/4 lengths in a quick 1:08 for six furlongs on a track rated "sloppy."

Halo Cat, who ran down Carthage in the stretch to win an allowance race at Golden Gate Fields Nov. 25, couldn't make up any ground on his rival Saturday.

Hollendorfer not only had won the previous seven stakes run in the Bay Area, but the last 11 in which he was a participant.

"You can't win them all," said Hollendorfer. "We thought (Halo Cat) ran really well. As long as we try as hard as we can, we don't worry about it."

"My horse had no excuse," said Russell Baze, who rode Halo Cat. "He broke sharp and sat right where I wanted him to be. The horse on the lead just ran too big today. In the last race when we caught him, he was getting tired. He didn't get tired today."

Carthage, who paid $5.60 as the second choice in the wagering, earned his first stakes victory and his sixth win in 15 career starts. Art Sherman trains Carthage and owns the Kentucky-bred son of Smoke Glacken in partnership with Phil Baneth and Tony Vitone.